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of turning out of the Way.

Then Christian fell down at his feet as dead, crying, "Woe is me, for I am undone." At the sight of which Evangelist caught him by the right hand, saying, “All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men;" "be not faithless, but believing." Then did Christian again a little revive, and stood up trembling, as at first, before Evangelist.

Then Evangelist proceeded, saying, Give more earnest heed to the things that I shall tell thee of. I will now shew thee who it was that deluded thee, and who it was also to whom he sent thee. The man that met thee is one Worldly-Wiseman, and rightly is he so called; partly because he savoureth only the doctrine of this world" (therefore he always goes to the town of Morality to church) and partly because he loveth that doctrine best, for it saveth him best from the cross" and because he is of this carnal temper, therefore he seeketh to pervert my ways, though right. Now there are three things in this man's counsel that thou must utterly abhor:

1. His turning thee out of the way.

2. His labouring to render the cross odious to thee. 3. And his setting thy feet in that way that leadeth unto the ministration of death".

given in the gospel of Christ, and the danger of following any guide further than he follows the Bible.

See the glory of gospel grace to sinners. See the amazing love of Christ in dying for sinners. Oh, remember the price which obtained the pardon of your sins, which was nothing less than his most precious blood! Believe his wonderful love. Rejoice in his glorious salvation. Live in the love of him, in the hatred of your sins, and in humbleness of mind before him.

7 Gospel comfort cannot be enjoyed, till the soul is convinced of the evil of sin, and is made willing to be justified by grace at first, " Gal. vi. 12.

1 John iv. 5.

Evangelist exhorts Christian

First. Thou must abhor his turning thee out of the way; yea, and thine own consenting thereto; because this is to reject the counsel of God for the sake of the counsel of a worldly-wise man. The Lord says, "Strive to enter in at the strait gate (the gate to which I send thee); for strait is the gate that leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it." From this little Wicket-Gate, and from the way thereto, hath this wicked man turned thee, to the bringing of thee almost to destruction. Hate, therefore, his turning thee out of the way, and abhor thyself for hearkening to him.

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Secondly. Thou must abhor his labouring to render the cross odious to thee: for thou art to "prefer it before the treasures in Egypt"." Besides, the King of Glory hath told thee, that he that will save his life shall lose it ;" and "he that comes after me, and hates not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, cannot be my disciple." I say, therefore, for a man to labour to persuade thee that that shall be thy death, without which the Truth hath said thou canst not have eternal life; this doctrine thou must abhor.

Thirdly. Thou must hate his setting of thy feet in the way that leadeth to the ministration of death. And for this thou must consider to whom he sent thee, and also how unable that person was to deliver thee from thy burden.

He to whom thou wast sent for ease, being by name Legality, is the son of the bond-woman which

and by works at the last day; for till then the gracious Saviour will not be received cordially in all his offices; nor can the love of God be shed abroad in the heart by the Holy Ghost.

• Luke xiii. 24. Matt. vii. 13, 14. P Heb. xi. 25, 26. ¶ Matt. X. 37-39. Mark viii. 34, 35. Luke, xiv. 26, 27. John xii. 25.

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EVANGELIST.

Then said Evangelist, pointing with his finger over a very wide field, dost thou see yonder Wicket-Gate?

OXFORD:

Printed and Published by Bartlett and Hinton.

to regain the Way to the Wicket-Gate.

now is, and is in bondage with her children'; and is, in a mystery, this Mount Sinai which thou hast feared will fall on thy head. Now if she with her children are in bondage, how canst thou expect by them to be made free? This Legality, therefore, is not able to set thee free from thy burden. No man was as yet ever rid of his burden by himself; no, nor ever is like to be. Ye cannot be justified by the works of the law; for by the deeds of the law no man living can be rid of his burden: therefore Mr. Worldly-Wiseman is a liar, and Mr. Legality a cheat; and for his son Civility, notwithstanding his simpering looks, he is but an hypocrite, and cannot help thee. Believe me, there is nothing in all this noise that thou hast heard of these sottish men, but a design to beguile thee of thy salvation, by turning thee from the way in which I had set thee. After this Evangelist called aloud to the heavens for confirmation of what he had said; and with that there came words and fire out of the mountain under which poor Christian stood, that made the hair of his flesh stand up. The words were thus pronounced: "As many as are of the works of the law are under the curse; for it is written, Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them'.

Now Christian looked for nothing but death, and

8 The gospel pays no respect to demure looks, and a sanctified face; but pronounces those to be cheats, hypocrites, and beguilers, who turn souls from the cross of Christ, and the way of him, to trust in any wise to their own works for justification and salvation.

9 Self-righteousness is as great an enemy to the cross of Christ as licentiousness, for it keeps the soul from coming to, and believing in, the blood of Christ for pardon and salvation; and hence it keeps the soul in bondage, and swells the mind with pride, while licentiousness brings a scandal on the cross.

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